The basilica was founded in the fourth century and rebuilt in the sixth, and it has never ceased to function since, which makes it one of the oldest churches in continuous use anywhere. Visitors enter through the Door of Humility, a stone opening so low that everyone must bow to pass. Inside, rows of monolithic columns painted with saints carry a timber roof, sections of ancient mosaic floor are visible through openings in the paving, and wall mosaics and roof timbers have been recovered by a major recent campaign of restoration. Beneath the sanctuary, a narrow grotto lit by lamps holds the silver star that marks the traditional site of the Nativity. The building is shared, like the Holy Sepulchre, between Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Franciscan communities. Filmed in 4K, above and below.
